


Business as Usual

by worm_blooded



Series: Strange Encounters [2]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Merlin (TV)
Genre: Marvel - Freeform, Multi, bbc merlin - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/worm_blooded/pseuds/worm_blooded
Summary: Kicking off the series we've got Stephen, Wong, and their new friend Merlin following through on an assignment in the Inbetween, a sort of 'no man's land' that borders all dimensions and acts as a gateway between realms. Eager to get back to work, Stephen may be behaving a bit too recklessly...
Series: Strange Encounters [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1431001
Kudos: 5





	Business as Usual

**Author's Note:**

> Aside from the glaringly obvious (the Merlin insertion), this series will not adhere strictly to comic canon (mostly as I haven't been able to read them all yet). I am working off a general idea of what I've gathered from the films and whatever comics I have read. I apologise in advance if the inaccuracies bother you! This is meant to play around with character traits and arcs anyway, so not to be taken too seriously!

Stephen and Wong had been busy preparing for their first assignment in months. Stephen was positively brimming with excitement, he could barely contain himself.

“When should we expect Merlin to join us?” he asked.

“He gave word that we should go on ahead without him, that he’d find his way to us when ready,” replied Wong.

‘You don’t have to tell me twice,’ thought Stephen while slipping on his sling ring. For the past few weeks the other sanctums had all been reporting strange disturbances in the Inbetween, and had elected the New York sanctum to pursue investigation—not that Stephen was complaining. With the flick of a wrist he had opened up a portal and barreled on through with reckless abandon.

“Stephen you dolt!” exclaimed Wong, “Whatever happened to scanning your surroundings first?” and shaking his head he trailed on after him.

Stephen stood basking in the scenery. His eyes glistened with the technicolour frenzy before him. He was no stranger to the endless highways of dipping and cresting nodes that sprinkled the ether, nor to the bright yet menacing orbs that lazily made their way about the landscape, but after such a hiatus it was truly a sight for sore eyes.

“God, how I missed this,” he said in a daze.

Wong came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze.

“Come on, let’s start looking,” said Wong.

They decided splitting up would be the best course of action, after all the Inbetween was mostly barren save for a few odd-looking trees and shifting hills. Stephen began to wander around. He cast a small cursory spell to help pick up any trail residue from mystical creatures. The global sanctum heads had all reported the disturbances to be concentrated and of a mobile nature. He passed one of the many identical trees peppering the landscape and examined it more closely. It bore nothing but fruit, not even any leaves. The bark shimmered and moved when not looking directly at it, and the fruits were of the brightest red. Stephen walked on and had nearly leaped out of his skin when he noticed Wong had suddenly appeared beside him.

“Wong! Jesus! Where the hell did you come from?”

“Distance works differently in here, you know that. But never mind that, Stephen! What are you doing eating an inter-dimensional apple!?”

Stephen, through a mouthful of apple: “A wha--? Oh dear lord! I must have started eating it absentmindedly, my metabolism has been going through the roof recently.”

“Well you’re not going to have much of a metabolism left after you’re through with that! Mystical food packs a terrible punch that few can stomach.”

Just as Stephen was contemplating whether-or-not to swallow his last bite, a cry came from the distance:

“Get back here, you little shit!”

The exclamation came from a feminine voice.

He rounded one of the hillocks and nearly collided with her, she was running full-speed. Visibly shaken by Stephen’s sudden appearance, she skidded to a halt, tripping herself in the process. Clearly embarrassed, she picked herself up in one fluid motion and turned to look at Stephen with piercing eyes. She was quite striking, with a long, thin face and pronounced cheekbones. Her hair framed her face in a wavy bob, and it was peroxide-white. She was tall and lithe, with a strong build that was not all too evident upon first glance. She could pass as a regular human back on Earth, but not without turning some curious heads along the way.

“Who are you?” she asked, starting to summon a spell.

Recognising it, Stephen waved it off.

“No need, I’m already equipped with a translation charm myself,” he said.

“Oh? How are you familiar with translation spells?” she asked, cocking her head to one side. Her complexion was like that of the tree’s—indescribable and ever-changing.

“Inter-dimensional beings. We get them coming around a lot, what with our job description and all.”

This was a blatant lie, he and Wong were in fact starved for company.

“Hm, I was under the impression that people of your planet were ignorant to such forces.”

“For the most part, they are, yes. I, though, am one of the Earth’s few Masters of the Mystic Arts,” he replied, betraying a hint of pride.

“’The Mystic Arts’? Is that what you call it? Your civilization is more primitive than I thought. I should have gathered that though, judging by your robes.”

Stephen elected to ignore that last comment.

“How did you know where I’m from, anyway?” he asked, annoyed.

“We’ve had dealings with your kind since time immemorial.”

Stephen was unsure whether it was the apple or his libido, but despite the abrasive conversation he found the woman deeply captivating. With a curt shake of his head he decided it was the apple. It had been a long time since he had been attracted to anyone, and even then, his relationship with Christine had been weak at best. The apple must have given him a newfound vitality. He hadn’t felt so full in months. Besides, he found the woman’s mannerisms and the way she carried herself more fascinating than anything, as if he could stare at her all day never breaking his gaze. Women from the Dark Dimension tended to have that effect.

“So who are you looking for?” asked Stephen.

“My cretin of a brother, that’s who. Have you seen him? He lost his pony,” she replied, exasperated.

“Haven’t seen him or the pony, but maybe my partner Wong has.”

Stephen started walking again, trying to remember how to bend distance as Wong had. He had gotten a bit rusty since his last visit to the Inbetween. He gave up when he heard a commotion nearby.

“What in blazes is that _thing_?” he heard a familiar voice say.

“I don’t know, but it’s got my damn sling ring!” bellowed Wong.

The hill shifted and revealed Wong and Merlin squared off against a creature of unfathomable proportion. I was rolling in place with the sling ring clasped in its many hands, clearly enraptured with the technology.

“Stephen! We think this is what’s been showing up on the sanctums’ radars. The blasted thing wouldn’t stop moving so when we came in for a closer look it managed to pry off my ring with its many… many fingers,” shuddered Wong.

A crack like a sparkler gone rogue clapped above their heads, fraying the last of the trio’s already fragile nerves. When they regained their bearings they looked up to see a boy emerging from a rain of sparks above the creature. He fell right out of the slit in the sky and flopped onto the giant’s back.

“My pony! You found him!” squealed the boy, wrapping his arms around the fleshy mass.

“You call that a pony!?” choked Merlin.

“What have you got there, Billy?” the boy asked the creature, prying Wong’s sling ring from its grasp.

“Hey, that’s mine! Give it back!” Wong commanded.

“Oh, isn’t this one of those doohickeys that allows you to Hop by waving your hands around like an idiot? I forget that humans can’t just Hop at will, you know?” noted the boy.

He was acting as though this was all great fun, and tossed Wong back the ring.

“That’s very basic knowledge, Caleb,” said the woman appearing behind Stephen, causing him to jump, “You should know these things if you are to become King one day.”

“Oh Clea, you know you can’t keep skirting the throne like that, it’s going to have to fall to you eventually. Demons can’t govern themselves, and you think they’re going to listen to me?” Caleb retorted, and then paused.

“So how exactly are we going to get Billy home?” he continued.

“That’s no problem!” interjected Stephen, buzzing with energy, “I’ve been working on a transportation spell for the past while, and I just might be able to get a creature of that size back where it belongs.”

Scarcely before anyone could even breath Stephen had already conjured a brilliant glowing latticework of bands that enveloped the giant, writhing mass and popped it through a blooming void that had opened up in the sky above it.

Wong’s jaw hung slack.

“Not bad, human!” Clea remarked, “How did you know where to deposit it though?”

“We’ve had dealings with your kind since time immemorial," he replied triumphantly, "oh, and the name’s Stephen.”

“How the hell did you manage that?” Wong demanded.

“Practice, and I think that apple helped a lot. That’s probably what I’ve been missing all this time, regular food just hasn’t been cutting it.”

The shower of sparks materialised again, and Clea was standing at its opening with her brother.

“Well, good luck with your new diet, Stephen! We’ll be seeing you around, no doubt,” and with that the pair disappeared into the inky blackness beyond.

“We should head back too,” said Wong, “the sanctums are doubtlessly eager for us to report on the situation.”

“I still can’t believe that was a bloody _pony_ ,” muttered Merlin as he and Wong proceeded through their portal to the sanctum.

Stephen followed, but at the last moment reached out to grab a handful of apples for the road. Clea was right, a new diet was in order if he was to continue his mystical antics.


End file.
